"It's dietary salad, sir. Doctor McCoy ordered your diet card changed." - DECONSTRUCTED SALAD ROLL

Captain's Log, Stardate -311071.8779807205

Don't get me wrong - we love to make Vietnamese salad rolls - but they are a somewhat involved process and no matter how much you insist, sometimes your stomach just doesn't have the time for your fanciful little cylinders of deliciousness. You stomach demands something immediately (or as close to immediately as possible.) This recipe is perfect for those days. You get the best of the rolls, but less of the frills.

Pickled Vegetables

1 large carrot

1 daikon radish

1/4 c vinegar

1 1/2 c water

1/4 c sugar

In a sauce pan bring water and sugar to a boil so that sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat and add vinegar. Warm through so that vinegar remains acidic. 

Meanwhile, peel the carrot and daikon and thinly slice into medallions. Place the vegetables in a medium mason jar (or any jar that contains about 750ml). Pour the pickling liquid into the jar and close it up. It takes two or three days for the pickling liquid to permeate.

Thai Basil Oil

3 c Thai basil

1/2 c vegetable oil

Add basil to blender and a few teaspoons of the oil. While blending slowly add the oil so the mixture emulsifies. We poured the oil into an ice cube tray which makes teaspoon sized cubes and froze it for use later (bottling would also work.)

Deconstructed Salad Roll

1 pkg. vermicelli noodles (the thicker kind works better for this, it's closer to the size of spaghettini)

1 pkg. bean curd jerky (you can get this at most asian grocery stores, any flavour is good)

1/2 cucumber, julienned

1/2 cup pickled vegetables, julienned

1/4 c peanuts

4 tbsp Thai basil oil

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add the vermicelli and remove from heat. The residual heat will continue to cook the noodles, 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, combine basil oil, hoisin, vinegar, and sugar. Whisk until combined.

If you want to eat the salad cold, allow the vermicelli time to cool or drain and (I know it's a cooking sin but the starch from the noodles isn't a big deal in this recipe) run under cold water. Add the noodles, bean curd, cucumber and vegetables to your dressing mixture. Mix until everything is coated in dressing. Sprinkle peanuts over the salad, serve and eat! We also love to use the sweet chilli spring roll sauce on this salad. It adds another extra bit of sweetness.

"Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you, lovely lady. You dance divinely." - THANKSGIVING

Captain's Log, Stardate -311077.192827245

The stuffing I make at Thanksgiving/Christmas (or whenever we fancy, for that matter) is an ever-changing entity, but I will try and reign it in to something you may be able to replicate. It's a great recipe for using up your stockpile of stale-ish or frozen bread. The gravy is a scratch made vegan creation I came up with one day and the cranberry sauce is the condiment in it's simplest form.  Together, a perfect main for your perfect holiday celebration (or any weeknight!)

RUSTIC VEGETARIAN STUFFING

12 c bread (this can be hamburger buns, onion buns, white bread, whole grain, etc. Pretty much anything goes, just make sure that more than half is some variation of white bread.)

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 large stalk celery, chopped

2 c mushrooms, sliced

2 c vegetable broth (or chicken broth made with vegetarian chicken bouillon)

1 apple, grated

1/2 bag of plain potato chips (roast chicken flavour are also tasty)

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried sage

salt and pepper

1/2 c dried cranberries, chopped (optional)

1/2 c roasted chestnuts, chopped (optional)

2 "turkey" burgers, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes (optional; if you can get a hold of some vegetarian turkey burgers you're golden, but the stuffing is just as great without.)

In a sauce pan over medium heat sauté the onions, celery and mushrooms in the oil until soft. Add the stock, grated apple, cranberry, and chestnuts. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a very large mixing bowl hand tear the bread into bite sized pieces. Crush the potato chips and add to the bread. Add the stock mixture to the bread along with the thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.

Grease a deep casserole dish. Empty the mixture into the dish, firmly pack it in and place a greased piece of tin foil over top. Let it cool for at least 20 minutes or overnight, as long as you've got it in the dish.

Preheat your oven to 325º. Bake the stuffing for 60-70 minutes or until the top is kind of crusty. I'd tell you to let it cool but sometimes the aroma is just too much to resist.

VEGAN GRAVY

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp flour

1 1/2 c vegetable stock (or the "chicken" bouillon kind)

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

In a sauce pan over medium heat sauté the flour in the oil to get rid of the raw flour taste. Whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Add the poultry seasoning and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally.

SIMPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 c water

1 c sugar

4 c fresh cranberries (frozen work too)

In a sauce pan bring water to a boil and stir in sugar until dissolved. Add the cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes until cranberries burst. Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then place in fridge to cool fully. As the sauce cools it will thicken into the wonderful jam-like condiment you know and love.